14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 10 Technical Preview is already up for grabs for those who register for the Windows Insider Program, and even though there’s still a lot of work to be done for the next OS version prepared by Microsoft, more and more details regarding the final product surface on a regular basis.
In a blog post today, Microsoft’s Jim Alkove explains that upgrades from older versions of Windows, such as 7 and 8, to the new Windows 10 will be performed quickly and with minimum effort from users, thus making the whole process a very smooth experience for everyone.
With the focus on businesses, Microsoft says that it will be possible to upgrade from Windows 7 and Windows 8 to Windows 10 straight from within the operating system, so no additional tools are required.
Still, expect some patches that would prepare the upgrade to Windows 10 to be shipped via Windows Update, but these won’t be available until spring 2015, when the new OS is expected to be released.
Same hardware requirements
One of the things that Microsoft is working on right now is the hardware requirements list, as the company intends to keep it unchanged from Windows 7 and Windows 8.
This would basically mean that anyone running Windows 7 or Windows 8 on their computer should be able to deploy Windows 10 without any performance drop, as Redmond struggles “to make it possible to run Windows 10 on your existing devices.”
“We understand the challenges that many organizations experienced as part of their Windows XP to Windows 7 migrations, and are working hard to ensure that compatibility between Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10 is excellent,” the company said.
Hoping to convince Windows 7 users to upgrade
By keeping hardware requirements untouched in Windows 10, Microsoft hopes that Windows 7 users would also be willing to upgrade, thus preparing the whole industry for the end of support of this particular OS version scheduled to take place in early 2020.
Microsoft is well aware that it could experience another Windows XP moment when Windows 7 support comes to an end, so rolling up new OS versions before this happens is critical in order to move users from older platforms.
At the same time, people familiar with the matter have hinted that Microsoft is working to make Windows 10 more affordable for Windows 7 users, so expect the company to announce not necessarily a freeware license for the upcoming operating system, but at least big discounts for existing customers.